


Kingdom Hearts 1: Trial by Dream

by CourageousPrincess



Series: Final Dreamer Mix [2]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Gen, Sora has a 'imaginary' friend
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:13:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24459523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CourageousPrincess/pseuds/CourageousPrincess
Series: Final Dreamer Mix [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1766656
Comments: 1
Kudos: 1





	1. Awakening

“I’ve been having these weird thoughts lately… Like, is any of this for real, or not?”

“Maybe… That is for you to decide,”

He was falling. The water all around him was icy and dark, and yet, the cold only vaguely nipped at his skin. When had he fallen into the ocean? His thoughts were hazy, he couldn’t remember anything beyond the cold embrace of saltwater. The dark turquoise water was dragging him down, deeper and deeper. Away from the distant light above, shining down just past the surface, giving the waters above a more sapphire color.

His eyes were heavy with an inexplicable exhaustion. Tired, he let them flutter close for a moment, before a jolt like a scream had him snapping them open. No longer tired, he found himself no longer in the dark embrace of water. Instead, he was standing on the sandy shore of a familiar island. Wincing from the harsh radiance of the overhead sun, he raised a hand to shield his eyes and peered out into the water. Standing knee-deep in the shallows was the back of someone familiar; a friend. Before he could race out to greet him, a hand fell firm and cool on his shoulder.

Crimson-amber bore into wilful Saphire as ******* held him in place. The taller one wordlessly whispered a warning, reminding him to be cautious. The hand on his shoulder withdrew itself. Turning back to his friend, he watched as a high wave rose up from the distance. As it closed in on the figure in the water, his silver-haired friend turned around to face him. Soundlessly, he beckoned the other closer with an outstretched hand clad in black.

Dashing out into the water, he was unable to grab the other’s hand before they both were engulfed in water. Back in the cool embrace of the ocean, he tried to swim against a current that dragged his body farther and farther from the outstretched hand.

“Do you truly believe you can reach him as he is now, ****?” ******* asked.

Maybe, maybe not. That wouldn’t stop him from trying. The water was determined to keep them apart. The undercurrent swept him away before he could ford more than an inch against it, twisting and turning him around in its clutch. Strong hands grabbed him, ******* shook their head with a knowing smile, dragging him up to the surface.

Breaching the surface, both found themselves in the shallows of the ocean. On the shore painted by a brilliant sunset behind them, ***** called and waved to them. Waving back, he raced through the salty brine to her side. When he was free of the water, he hunched forward, hands on his knees as his lungs worked to catch his breath. ***** smiled and chuckled at him before looking up. Standing up, he followed her line of sighed.

Among a darkening sky adorned with shooting stars, the figure of a person plummeted past the clouds. Staring at the figure, he realized that the person falling, was him.

“It’s almost time now, for the power within you to finally take shape. What kind of key will your heart be?” ******* whispered into his ear.

Suddenly, it felt as if the ground beneath his shoes had given way to water. He found himself falling once again. Falling through the sky, the wind whipping against his strangely dry clothes, he tried to reach for ***** with the last of his fading strength, the sky above him rippled like water, and she was gone. He wasn't sure for how long he fell, or even when he broke through the surface of the water.

He found himself in the watery depths he’d started in, falling fast and deep. He soon found his decent being slowed as his body was shifted onto it’s back. It felt like the water was cradling him now, gently easing him down to some unknown place. When he found the strength to pry his eyes open, his body was being righted to his feet as he landed on, something. Lost and confused, he dared to take on step into the inky darkness on all sides. From where his foot landed, the ground exploded into light. Brilliant white birds took flight from the ground all around him, flying off into the darkness that no longer seemed so scary.

Sora found himself alone. On all sides was a deep, pitch-black void. The ground he was standing on, the only thing between him and the darkness, was an odd circular ‘platform’ that looked like a stained-glass window or mural. The center depicted a young woman in blue and yellow with dark hair and an apple in one hand. In the center, where she was, were the faces of people Sora didn’t recognize. In the ring just after, cheerful animals, from squirrels to birds. All, except for the old woman’s face at her feet.

Staring intently at the great level of detail, Sora didn’t notice when someone approached him.

“So much to do, so little time…” A familiar voice hummed.

Looking up, he saw the familiar profile of Dusk standing opposite of him. Their red-amber eyes glinted mysteriously.

“Take your time. Don’t be afraid.” They said cryptically. “The door is still shut. Now, step forward. Can you do it?”

Cautiously, he walked forward. It wasn’t Dusk he was wary of, but the air of this place buzzed with magic and some unknown power. The older person might be unfazed, unbothered by the powerful aura of this place, but that didn’t mean Sora himself could just brush it off! The glass seemed stable enough under his shoes. It didn’t creak or groan, or otherwise give him a reason to fear it shattering underneath him.

When he was standing before the other, Dusk placed a gloved hand right over his heart.

“Power sleeps within you, deep within your heart.” They said. “The power of the guardian; a shield to protect those important to you. The power of the warrior; a sword of mighty power to fight all who would make themselves your foe. The power of the mystic; a wonderous, mysterious power of ruin and fortune.” Dusk hummed. “Not many are so equally empowered by all three like you are, though, you might need some extra practice with magic. When the time comes.”

“What do you mean?” Sora asked.

In place of a response, Dusk turned around and waved a hand over a patch of empty darkness. As though by magic, a set of stained-glass stairs appeared, letting them descend deeper. Dusk beckoned for the boy to follow. Sora hesitated, eyes lingering on the darkness, then hurried to follow his friend. Dusk wouldn’t lead him anyplace bad.

The stairs brought them to another stained-glass platform. On the way down, he was able to see that the glass murals were, indeed, connected to pillars of some kind. The winding path of the staircase gave the brunette a good chance to admire the pillar. It was perfectly circular and decorated with more panes of stained glass. The more simplistic detail on the sides helped to give emphasis on the circular panels the pillar supported, giving the artwork a new level of elegance. 

Whoever had designed these pillars and stained glass had put in a great level of hard work and passion.

The next platform depicted a young woman in a blue ballgown, golden curls pinned up against her head. Her mural depicted snapshots of a grand castle along with a horse-drawn carriage. Instead of a ring of animals like the last on, the blond person was encircled by a ring of silhouettes- one boy and one girl- interacting with each other. Directly to the left and right were silver-blue heels.

Dusk didn’t pause, traversing the grand mural all the way the top, right above the top of the castle.

“You will soon encounter enemies who will stop at nothing to snuff out your light. If you want to keep your heart, you will have to fight them.” Dusk said, words weighted with a firmness that didn’t match their soft expression. “Do not worried, for you will have a weapon when that time comes to pass.”

Tracing a pattern in the air, Sora found his hands curling around the familiar weight of his wooden practice sword.

“For now, that will suffice.”

Sora gave his ‘weapon’ a practice swing, watching the thick wooden edge cut an ark through the air. Before he could ask Dusk to elaborate, black creatures with spindly antennae, round heads with glowing yellow eyes, and stocky, round bodies emerged from the ground. All sets of round yellow zeroed in on him, the black creatures waddled towards him on short legs and long feet. One even tried to pounce him, tiny legs letting it jump surprisingly high into the air.

Bracing his teeth, Sora swung his sword at them, nocking the creatures back. Dusk whispered words too soft for him to hear. With a downstroke, one of the creaturs vanished with a purple-black haze. Then another, and another. After three had been beaten (were they dead?), the rest backed off, disappearing back into the floor. Dusk smiled and nodded, satisfied with his show of skills.

Pools of black appeared and the murals, growing and multiplying until all of the stained-glass surfaces had been covered. Sora felt himself sink into the dark pits that rippled with the same purple-black color as those monsters had flashed when defeated. Dusk was also sinking into the blackness, but was unfazed as they were pulled in deeper. Sora struggled and tried to free himself of the liquid darkness, but was pulled under before to could put up much of a fight.

Left to struggle against the hungry darkness, the boy writhed and twisted on his back until he found himself seated on another stained-glass panel. Pink and blue, with touches of white, shaped out thee silhouettes seated in three hearts. One princess was accompanied by a crescent moon, the one next to her the sun. Above them, the third sat in front of what looked to be a yellow heart, the visible part of his shadow spread out behind her like wings.

Dusk stood at the bottom of the mural, hand flat against something unseen.

When Sora trotted to their side, the area in front of their hand shimmered like a heat mirage. Dripping away like water, the shimmering space pulled back to reveal a set of doors. Grabbing the silver handles, Dusk pulled the ornamental-looking doors open, light spilling past their rose-quartz pink surfaces.

“The door won’t be opening just yet,” Dusk mused prophetically.

Sora stuck close to his older friend, blinded by the intense light that didn’t seem to faze the other.

“The day you will open the door is both far off, and very near. Your journey will not be an easy one.”

“What do you mean?” Sora asked.

Dusk didn’t answer.

The light faded away to reveal yet another mural. This one had a slumbering young woman with wavy golden hair and a violet dress. A single, red tulip was tucked against her chest, petals as red as blood. Red roses encircled her, briar vines with sharp thorns creeping in from the sides.

Whatever lull in battle they had enjoyed on the last mural did not follow them. Sora found himself circled by several of those monsters, all ready to pounce. With the reach of his wooden weapon, he was able to keep a small, but useful, distance between him and the clump of monsters.

Though he couldn’t see the other, Dusk's presence was still a weighted, comfortable shrowd on his shoulders, reminding him that the other was with him in spirit.

Through the course of the battle, Sora learned a few key things about his opponents. They were slow above ground, but when they sank into the floor and became something akin to shadows on the stained-glass surface, they were much faster. These monsters didn’t take that many hits to defeat, but were invulnerable when in the ground. Finally, they were good jumpers despite their stubby legs.

A few managed to headbutt and claw at him, but neither attack cause Sora much harm. Once he thinned their numbers down, he found them to be much more manageable. They were more formidable in large numbers, it seemed.

When the last shadow monster was defeated, more glass stairs appeared, this time leading up. The platform they guided him to depicted a young woman in a bright yellow dress, her brown hair left to tumble around her shoulders. At her side was a grim-faced beast of some kind. Unlike the others, this one had a strong ray of light shining down from above. Curious, Sora approached.

“The closer you get to light, the greater your shadow becomes.” Dusk’s voice echoed as he approached the light.

Behind him, his shadow was stretched out to the edge of the platform. The brunette thought nothing of it, until his shadow pulled itself free of the ground, transforming into a giant creature that resembled the smaller monsters from early. It’s body the same shiny black colors, eyes the exact shade of glowing yellow as they peered down at him.

Backing up, Dusk’s voice reverberated. “But, don’t be afraid. And, don’t forget…”

Turning around, Sora sprinted to the other side of the platform, fear causing him to forget momentarily, where he was. He was forcefully reminded when he nearly skidded off the edge.

Behind him, the monster loomed over him, towering over him. The monster stood light on the balls of its feet, tendrils of darkness waving around its head like hair. A heart-shaped hole was stretched over its abdomen. Leaning just above the ground, the monster swiped a hand over the yellow surface, particles of light gathering in that hand.

The light condensed into a shimmering violet ball that the goliath-sized creature then slammed into the ground, opening up a pool of black-purple. Sora took that as his opportunity to wail on the thing’s hand. He quickly found himself having to multi-task between attacking the hand and fending off the smaller monsters. He was busy whacking a few of them away when the goliath withdrew its hand.

Instead of repeating that attack, the goliath instead dropped to its knees. A sphere of vivid purple-violent formed in the center of the heart-hole in its body. The sphere pulsed for a few moments, the did the opposite of the first attack; breaking apart into smaller lights than honed in on the boy. Sora barely managed to duck and roll out of the way, failed to do so twice, and found his back smarting from the force of the blows.

The goliath alternated between the two attacks. Following the pattern, Sora attacked when its hands were in range, and defended when they weren’t. Eventually, Sore found himself being forced back as the goliath slammed its fists into the ground. Reading his weapon to attack, Sora prepared to strike, only to find his weapon vanished in a sparkle of light, leaving his fingers flailing around empty air.

Cornered and weaponless, Sora found himself cornered and being dragged into a dark pit.

“--- But, don’t be afraid.” Dusk’s voice called out. It cut through the silence as Sora struggled and despaired against the tendrils of darkness trying to drag him down. “You hold the mightiest weapon of all.”

Desperately, Sora reached out a hand to try and grab something- anything, and pull himself free. Just as he feared the darkness might consume him, his fingers curled around the hilt of an unfamiliar weapon.

“So, don’t forget: You are the one who will open the door.”


	2. Summer Dream

Sora felt a sense of Dejavue as he cracked his eyes open in the brilliant summer sunshine. Heaving his body up into a sitting position, the boy found himself staring out into the ocean, sand beneath his fingers instead of glass and liquid shadows. Distantly, his fingers still recalled the feeling of a wooden hilt in his grip, and the sting of shadowy monsters clawing at his heels.

It had all felt so real… Had it been a dream? 

Yawning, Sora shoved that thought aside. He was still tired, and the sunlight felt nice and cozy on his skin. A little nap wouldn’t hurt, right? Not after that trial in the strange world of glass and magic. Falling back onto the sand, Sora was startled out of his sleepy dazy by the sudden appearance of Kairi looming over him.

“Whoa!” He yelped, jolting back up. 

Rising to his knees and turning around, sure enough, the Scarlette haired girl his age stood behind him, hands on her knees as she leaned forward. She chuckled when she saw the startled expression on his face, lips curled back into a coy smirk.

“Gimme a break, Kairi,” He snorted back, her laughter contagious.

“Sora, you lazy bum.” She scolded him jokingly, standing up straight. “I knew that I’d find you snoozing down here.”

“What- no! This huge, black thing swallowed me up!” The brunette boy said adamantly, the memories he’d brushed aside suddenly once more at the forefront of his mind. He remembered it vividly; reaching out from something unseen as Dusk said a bunch of vague stuff about him opening a door. “I couldn’t breath, I couldn’t--- ow!”

Sora winced when Kairi none too gently rapped her knuckles against the top of his head. He gingerly rubbed the sore spot as he looked up at his friend, confused.

“Are you still dreaming?” She asked him, leaning forward so she could look him level in the eyes.

“It wasn’t a dream!” He insisted. The instant those words were out, the brunette boy found himself doubting them. “Or, was it? I don’t know.” He mumbled quietly. Everything as looked and felt so vivid and real, from the weight of Dusk’s hands pulling him up, to their haunting words. “What was that place?” He wondered out loud, staring at the sand while the waves crashed against the shore behind them. “So bizarre…”

“Yeah, sure,” Kairi replied casually. It probably didn’t mean anything to her, it was his dream. He watched the red-haired girl casually stole past him to the water’s edge, arms crossed behind her as she stared out on the horizon.

“Say, Kairi, What was your hometown like? You know, where you grew up.” Sora asked, wanting to shift the conversation –and his thoughts- away from the dream of darkness and premonition.

“I’ve told you before, I don’t remember.” She reminded him, turning to face him.

“Nohing at all?” He probed.

“Nothing.” She confirmed, voice smaller and softer than it usually was. With her back to him, Sora didn’t see the way her smile had dropped for an instant, but he could hear it.

“You ever want to go back?”

“Well, I’m happy here.” She hummed.

“Really…” Sora hummed absentmindedly.

“But, you know…” Kairi said after a moment. “I wouldn’t mind going to see it.”

“I’d like to see it too.” Sora agreed. “Along with any other worlds out there! I want to see ‘em all!”

“So what’re we waiting for?” Kairi prompted, as if they could leave right that moment.

“Hey,” A certain someone called. “aren’t you guys forgetting about me?” Riku huffed at them with mock anger, hefting a log of wood under one arm as he smirked at them. “So, I guess I’m the only one working on the raft.”

Riku tossed the log he was carrying over to Sora, who fell over in an attempt to not get hit in the head, before marching up over to Kairi. She giggled softly as he approached, eyes gleaming with cheerful mirth. “And you’re just as lazy as he is!” The silver-haired boy mock-scolded.

Kairi simply smiled and chuckled at the accusation, acting not so different from a trickster child. “So you’ve noticed.” She wasn’t guilty in the slightest, her words were teasing and airy. 

“Okay, we’ll finish it together!” Her words came just as Riku joined Sora on the sand. “I’ll race you!”

“Huh?” Sora whined.

“What, are you kidding me?” Riku groaned.

The scarlet haired girl only chuckled at her friends’ complaints, ignoring them completely. “Ready? Go!”

At her signal, both boys were up on their feet and racing across the beach in the direction of their raft, Kairi chasing after them several feet behind. The three of them shared so many memories of times like these; racing across the beach in games as they smiled and laughed in their fun. Sora hoped their adventure to new worlds could be filled with this much fun and sunshine.

Their raft was impressive. Impressive in the sense that three wild children somehow managed to cobble together a sea-worthy platform of wood without the help of the adults. Most of the wood came from trees that had been felled by nature, or from the mainland. Between the combined efforts of Riku and Sora, the pair had managed to cut down a grand total of 2 trees on their own. Because neither had known the proper way to swing an ax, or the best place to chop a tree down, the ordeal had been long, drawn-out, and more timeconsuming than if they had forgone the entire thing entirely, but both boys had been too stubborn and proud to give up.

Thankfully, both had agreed to give up the insane idea after the second tree, and had moved on.

Sora wandered the small island in search of any spare rope or cloth for Kairi to use as a sail. The rafty was almost done; they just needed a few more logs and the sail, and then their raft would be ready for the open ocean. They would need enough food to last their journey, but that would wait until their vessel was ready- don’t place the horse before the cart, or so his father reminded him.

Folding up a square of white cloth he’d found in one of the more secluded and out of the way pockets, the brunette boy felt the calm, observative presence of Dusk settle beside him. He didn’t need to look over to know the older person was leaning against the wall beside him.

“Hey, Dusk, do you think our raft could take us to another world?” Sora asked.

To anyone watching the youth, it would seem like he was talking to empty air. No one else was able to see the figure that he considered a close confidant and friend. For many years of his early life, he’d believed Dusk to be an imaginary friend- until he learned the truth; they were a lost soul who’d wandered the darkness for many years before finding him.

“Considering that I have no concept of world to world travel, I can’t say it’s impossible,” The older one replied with a hum. “Though, that also means I cannot say that it is possible. But, my warnings have never stopped you in the past, now have they.”

“Hey! You expect a five-year-old to believe that eating an entire tub of chocolate ice cream is anything but the best idea in the world?” Sora shot back.

Neither male nor female, The red-amber eyed adult was a wandering ghost that had for some reason been drawn to Sora and his heart. After Sora realized his spiritual companion was not a creation of his own mind, he quickly became fascinated with the other. Black hair long and left to flow around them in ebony cascades, dressed in strange clothes of black and silver and aqua blue, it was obvious they were not from Destiny Islands. Sora had asked them every question he could squeeze out of his brain about the world they came from, and the worlds they had seen.

It was because of Dusk that he’d grown up never feeling truly alone. And, it was also thanks to the wanderer, and their extensive knowledge, that Sora had learned not to fear the darkness- unless it was trying to swallow him up.

“Well, considering that I watched that exact scenario play out, not anymore.” Dusk replied dryly.

Many times, Dusk tried to talk reason with a kid Sora in the past, and every time they’d been forced to watch as they were ignored in favor of playing out one dumb idea after another. It wasn’t until he was older that he finally started listening to the wiser adult.

“…Hey, earlier, did we meet up in a dark world?” Sora asked.

For as much as he wanted to call it a dream, the memories were too vivid and detailed. He remembered for the stained-glass platforms had clicked under his shoes, the feel of Dusk’s hands on his shoulders even though the other was nothing more than a wandering heart- a phantasm with no corporeal body to touch things with. He remembered how tense and scared he was, up against that giant monster of darkness.

“That wasn’t a world related to darkness,” Dusk corrected him. “It’s the world of hearts, where everyone exists simultaneously. I didn’t bring you there, I was nothing more than a mentor and guide.”

“Wait, does that mean those pillars are the hearts of people?”

“Yes, you have one, your friends have one, I’m not sure if mine is still there, considering I’m no longer quite alive anymore.” Dusk explained.

“Then that means I’ll have to try and visit there another time, and see if I can find it!”

The three friends managed to scrounge up the remaining material needed to complete their raft, and finish building it. The sun was sinking low into the distant waves when the final nails were hammered in, and the final ropes secured to the sail. With the raft finally finished, they were almost ready to set sail for other worlds.

Taking a seat on the sideways growing tree they all loved to use to watch the sunset, the trio lingered just long enough to watch the red-dyed sun sink into far-off waters. The sky was dyed red and peach, orange, plum, and violet in the wake of the falling sun.

“So, Kairi’s home is out there somewhere, right?” Sore inquired.

“Could be.” Riku replied. “We’ll never know by staying here.”

“But, how far could a raft take us?” The brunette boy pointed out.

“Who knows?” Riku shrugged. “If we have to, we’ll think of something else.” The silver-haired boy was the most eager to explore outside the confines of their isle home. Sora and Kairi were driven by curiosity and a desire for answers, but their older friend seemed driven by an entirely different flavor of wanderlust. Like, he couldn’t wait to get off the islands.

“So, suppose you get to another world. What would you do there?” Kairi asked with a sly chuckle. 

“Well, I haven’t really thought about it.” Riku admitted. “It’s just… I’ve always wondered why we’re here, on this island. If there are any other worlds out there, why did we end up on this one?” Sora was never one for philosophy, but he could understand where Riku was coming from. He recalled the stories his mom told him, and the book she always read when he was younger. He thought of the stories Dusk told him.

“And, suppose there are other worlds… Then ours is just a little piece of something much greater. So, we could have just as easily ended up somewhere else, right?” Riku continued, looking up at them.

“I dunno,” Sora shrugged, repositioning himself so he could lay down on the sideways trunk.

“Exactly. That’s why we need to go out there and find out.” Riku’s words resonated with a fierce resolve. “Just sitting here won’t change a thing. It’s the same old stuff. So, let’s go.”

“You’ve been thinking a lot lately, haven’t you?” Kairi observed.

“Thanks to you,” Riku said. “If you hadn’t come here, I probably would’ve never thought of any of this. Kairi, thanks."

The scarlet-haired girl smiled. “You’re welcome.”

The exchange left Sora feeling a little, lonely. Riku and Kairi had these great reasons driving them. Kairi wanted to learn about the home she once lived in before washing ashore on their island. Riku had so many questions and truths he wanted to uncover. In comparison, Sora wasn’t as pushed to leave as the other two. He was content with his life on the islands, and could see himself living his entire life there.

But, his head was filled with stories of magic and dreams. If he could, he wanted to learn about the storybook his great grandmother had brought with her when she washed up on the shores of their island years ago. Was it just a story, or was there some truth to it? He also wanted to learn more about the place Dusk once called home. To him, the boy wouldn’t consider those powerful reasons to go.

“Sora.” Riku called, making him pause.

He was about half-way across the bridge connecting the tiny speck of lands just off the shore to the larger island they played on. Kairi was already making her way to the docks where their boats were tethered.

Turning around, the blue-eyed boy was surprised when a yellow, star-shaped fruit was tossed into his arms.

“You wanted one, didn’t you?” Riku said.

“A paopu fruit…” The brunette muttered. Had he asked for one? He couldn’t remember.

“If two people share one, their destinies become intertwined. They’ll remain a part of each other’s lives no matter what.” Riku reminded him, walking by.

Sora knew the legend well. His parents had shared one the night of their wedding, so that they would always be together. Though, it wasn’t just lovers who could have their destinies intertwined. In some of the earliest stories about the paopu’s strange power, it was friends who shared the fruit, so that they would always be friends. 

“I know you want to try it.” The silver-haired boy teased.

“What are you talking-” Riku started laughing before Sora could finish.

Tossing the fruit aside, he raced off to catch up to his friends.

“Mom, Dad, I’m home!” He called.

“Oh, Sora! Welcome home. I take it you had a fun day as always?” His mom, Azara commented, poking her head out of the kitchen long enough to smile and wave at him.

“Yeah, it was great. We managed to finish the raft today!” Sora told her. “All we need to do now is gather provisions for the trip!”

“That’s great to hear, I know how much work the three of you have been putting into it.” His mom smiled.

“I only heard part of that, what are we so happy about?” His dad, Horizaeon asked.

“Dad! I was just telling mom how Riku, Kairi, and me finished building the raft today! We’re almost ready to go off searching for Kairi’s home.” Sora explained, practically vibrating with energy.

“That’s great.” His dad agreed, “Make sure you pack plenty of fresh water. That stuff’ll be more important on the open water than food.”

“I will. It’s not like we’ll be setting sail tomorrow- it’s gonna take us a few days to collect enough food and water.” Sora reminded his father.

“Good, always be prepared for anything. The ocean is as cruel as she is beautiful. Those tides won’t hesitate to throw you against sheer cliffs and sharp reefs.” His dad said, ruffling his son’s fluffy hair.

Azara was a cheerful woman only a few inches shorter than her husband. She was known to everyone for being excentric and cheerful, both traits her son inherited in full. Everyone knew her as a dreamer; often lost in her own head and marching to the beat of her own drum. Her unruly black hair was as untamable as her son’s, always sticking up as if someone had zapped her with static. Her green eyes were always twinkling with mirth and laughter, drawing people in with a feel as warm and fuzzy as sunlight. 

Horizaeon, Sora’s dad, was a straight-faced fisherman who often worked with Riku’s parents. Actually, both his parents were close friends with both Riku’s and Kairi’s. Though Zaeon might seem grounded and down to earth, the truth was he was almost as flighty and excentric as his wife. Enamored with the sea and sky, he liked to spend most of his time sailing on the water. Sora had many fond memories of the three of them sailing all across the water when he was little, practically flying over the surface like birds. His brown hair and blue eyes were a similar shade to his son’s.

Sora loved both his parents, had known them to be some of the most loving and encouraging people in his life. He’d grown up hearing his mother recall the storied his great grandmother Eludux once told, stories about a desert the stretched out like the ocean; sand far of into the horizon. Stories of forests backed with towering trees and branches that lock together, blocking out the sun.

Eludux hadn’t been born on the mainland, she had washed ashore one day with only a book called “the Lost Fairytale”. Some claimed to have seen her clutching a strange weapon in one hand, shaped almost like a key, but the weapon was never seen again. Neither his mother nor he had met their mysterious relative- she had died before Azara had been born.

If there was one thing Sora was hoping to gain from his coming journey, it was to learn more about his great grandmother, and the world she’d come from. She came from another world, just like Kairi, he was certain of it. He had to believe both were out there, unlike Dusk’s world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dusk is a character that appeared in the fairytale, feel free to start guessing.  
> Also, I'm having a bit of fun with Sora's parents. I'm fleshing them out a bit now, but they won't be fully fleshed out until much later.


	3. A Star Goes Out

Sora was old enough to admit (internally) that it was a petty thing to get angry at, but, hey, he was still young! He couldn’t help but puff up his face at Riku’s casual tone as the silver-haired boy dismissively said “Man, lighten up. It’s just a name, after all.” A part of him felt a bit better about the narrow –by-the-skin-of-his-teeth victory, hearing that his friend had just been joking about the whole ‘winner shares a paopu with Kairi’ bet, and that ultimately they’d been racing over the name (their raft was officially Excalibur, but Highwind wouldn’t have been a bad name).

Dusk watched all of this, shaking their head with a low, hearty chuckle. These actions mirroring those of their parents when the two boys got competitive and hot-blooded. If he could have, the brunette would have told the other off, but with Ruki present- someone who was unable to see the wayward spirit- it would only make the brunette look crazy.

In an effort not to snap at anyone, Sora stomped off in the direction Kairi had wandered off to. There was still work to be done, and working would take his mind off of Riku’s teasing. He found the scarlet-haired girl over by the raft.

“I’m just doing final inspections- wouldn’t want it to spring a leak on us.” She hummed mischievously as he stared at her. “Now, hows about you gather out provisions. We’ll need; one seagull egg, three mushrooms, two unripe coconuts, three fish. Oh! And some drinking water!” She snatched up an empty bottle that had been sitting innocently on one of the planks next to her feet. Handing it to him, she gave Sora a Cheshire smile. “Remember, not from the ocean.” She teased.

“Yeah, yeah.” Sora huffed back. That had been her mistake, not his.

The egg was the easiest to find; get a high enough perch to see the tops of the trees and one can easily spy a bird’s nest. Next came the drinking water. There was a decently sized spring of fresh water on their little playground-island, where everyone drank from, it was over by the entrance to the ‘secret’ cave he and his friends often spent time in- especially in their younger years. The little plastic bottle of water was not enough for one person, let alone three on a journey like theirs.

In the days to come, they would gather more- much, much more- but for not, this was all they needed. The provisions he was gathering were only meant to last a few days at best. This was preparing for a test-run of their raft- the seconds to last step before they could set out on the open waters in search of new worlds. The thought made Sora apprehensive, like he was just waiting for something to go wrong.

Sore chose to catch the fish before gathering the coconuts. Fish were easy to find, often wandering in the shallower waters near the shores in search of food. Catching them was a bit tricky, but it was easier than inspecting every tree for any unripe coconuts. Floundering and swimming about in the shallow tides, the brunette eventually managed to catch the desired number of fish. The damp weight of his clothes made the overbearing presence of the summer sun more bearable as he climbed up and down several different trees before finding the green-skinned flesh of immature coconuts. The unripe fruits were easier to break open, and their juice was more like water, and thus more hydrating than the sugary, creamy milk of the ripened ones.

The last thing he needed to find were the mushrooms. He already knew the best dark places that mushrooms loved to grow in.

His quest for mushrooms eventually brought Sora to the secret place. It wasn’t really much of a secret, everyone knew about it. But it was nice to pretend. The secret place had a mysterious air to it, brought about from the door-like wall of wood smake in the center of the room. No one knew what it was for, or who had built it. The door had always been there, from the time people first started visiting the tiny island. The stone walls were covered in scribbles made by the imaginative hands of a small child and his friends.

Sora could still vividly remember taking a small stone and making each pale line in the deep slate grey. His eyes naturally wandered to a pair of drawings in particular. He and Kairi had made them, soon after her arrival to their seas-side home. The pictures were small scribbles of each other; Kairi had made his portrait, and Sora had made hers. It was obvious who had done who bu Sora’s less than picturesque rendition of her, but she had smiled all the same and called it perfect.

Maybe it was the fears he didn’t want to put a voice to, or maybe it was the lingering petty envy from Riku’s words. Sore wordlessly grabbed a stone and began to draw. The room echoed with the soft ‘scrick’ of him scraping his stone across the wall. He didn’t have the git to do in himself, but in drawings, he didn’t need courage. The simple drawing of him offering Kairi a paopu didn’t need to be detailed or grand, an easy thing to make. Just as he finished drawing, Sora felt eyes burrow into his back.

The chain at his hip rattled as the brunette jumped to his feet, eyes already rushing to the entrance. “Wh-who's there?” He demanded.

Standing in the mouth of the cavern was a man swathed in earthen brown roped, covering him from head to toe. “I’ve come to see the door to this world.” The man answered cryptically, voice deep and haunting.

“Huh?” The words fell on Sora’s ears as a riddle, complex, and confusing. Beside him, Dusk grimaced at the stranger, red-amber eyes trained mercilessly at the hooded figure.

“This world has been connected.” The man replied vaguely, as if that explained anything.

“Wh-what are you talking about?” Sora asked. He wished the stranger would actually make sense.

“Tied to the darkness… soon to be completely eclipsed.” The stranger said, ignoring Sora’s pleas for straight answers. Dusk grappled at the air to their right, as if reaching for something that was no longer thair. Not that it made a difference, the stranger clearly couldn’t see them.

“Well, whoever you are, stop freaking me out like this. Huh?” Sora’s retaliating lost steam as something dawned on him. “Wh-where did you come from?” He didn’t recognize the man’s voice, and everyone knew everyone on destiny islands.

“You do not yet know what lies beyond the door.” The older man stated plainly.

“So you are from another world!” Sora exclaimed. That made him a traveler, like Dusk was, like his granny was, like they hoped to be.

“There is so very much to learn. You understand so little.” The traveler sneered.

“Oh, Yeah?” Sora bristled. “Well, you’ll see. I’m gonna get out and learn what’s out there!”

“A meaningless effort.” The stranger replied bluntly, cruelly. “One who knows nothing can understand nothing.”

“Oh, so you mean to say you were born omnipotent?” Dusk all but spat, even if their venomous words were only audible to one person. The jab made Sora feel a bit better.

Sora watched the hooded stranger retreat into the shadows, taking his leave. Blue eyes wandered to dark wood. It was clear the door he’d been talking about was the one right in front of him. What was so important about a door-like wall that couldn’t be opened? Many had tried to open it in the past, but all attempts to do so ended in failure.

Dusk often looked at the door with a far-off expression, as if they knew the secrets to the door. Sora suspected they knew something about the unopenable door, but he never asked. It seemed like a subject better left unspoken. His friend seemed to understand what the man was saying, even if they didn’t agree. They still bristled and snarled at the empty space the man once stood, something about the traveler unnerving them far more than the boy had.

“Dusk, did you recognize him?” Sora asked softly.

“No, not the person himself, but,” Dusk paused, thinking carefully about their words. “That man, felt similar to someone I knew in the past. Someone steeped in evil.”

Sensing his friend’s distress, Sora reached a hand to mime holding it in his. Though he couldn’t touch the older wanderer, the sentiment was still there. Dusk relaxed and gave him a thankful look, reddish-amber eyes glinting with several different emotions. 

When he returned to the raft, he found Kairi meticulously weaving Thalassa shells together in the shape of a star. There was a well-known legend that sailors who wore accessories with that star-shape made out of shells would be guided home without fail. Many of the adults in their town who worked on the water wore these charms as necklaces or pendants. His father had one as a bracelet, a gift from his mom made chack in their childhood days. Kairi’s charm was still missing one leg, but it looked really close to completion.

“Here, I think I have everything.” Sore said, setting his sack of stuff down on the raft.

“Lemme check,” Kairi chirked. Kneeling down, she carefully rummaged through the contents of the sack, taking inventory of everything inside to confirm that he had, indeed, gathered everything. “Alright, looks like everything’s there!” Standing up and brushing sand from her skin, Kairi smiled. “Tomorrow’s the big day. We should rest up!”

When the sun started sinking into the horizon, ushering in the night, the pair found themselves sitting on the pier, watching the sunset as their feet angled over the top of the water.

“You know, Riku has changed.” Kairi spoke up.

“What do you mean?” Sora asked.

“Well…” The redhead started, trying to find her words.

“You okay?” The brunette boy coaxed.

“Sora, let’s take the raft and go- just the two of us!” She blurted.

“Huh?” He replied softly, speechless at her boldness.

At her friend’s dumbfound expression, the girl smiled and giggled. “Just kidding.” She said with a teasing smile.

“What’s gotten into you?” Sora snorted. “You’re the one that’s changed, Kairi.”

“Maybe…” Kairi agreed quietly. “You know, I was a little afraid at first, but now I’m ready.” Hair a brand of fire in the fading sunlight, she reached a hand out, as if to grab something only she could see. “No matter where I go, or what I see, I know I can always come back here.”

Kairi turned to look at him, an impish smile splitting her face open. The expression in her ocean-blue eyes was unreadable, disconnected from the innocent joy on her face. “Right?” The way her voice hesitated for a moment, almost made it seem like she wasn’t asking him to just confirm they she always had a home on the islands.

“Yeah, of course!” Sore affirmed without thinking.

“Than’s good.” She said quietly, another disconnect from her blissful expression. “Sora, don’t ever change.”

“Huh?” Her question caught him off guard. He looked up at her as Kairi rose to her feet, eyes staring intently out at the water’s edge.

“I just can’t wait.” She said wistfully. “Once we set sail, it’ll be great.

Behind them, Dusk watched the exchange with an almost mournful, grieving expression. Change was inevitable, and impossible to stop. People and places changed, for better or worse, regardless of if they wanted to or not. The world they had once known was gone, along with most of the people they’d known.

The growing anticipation for their coming journey left Sora feeling restless, like no matter how much he waited, the day couldn’t come fast enough. He stared up at the little toy ship hanging from the ceiling of his room- a toy he’d had all his life. When his eyes landed on the pair of puppets that lived on the toy ship, he found himself remembering Kairir’s words from earlier.

“I can’t wait. Once we set sail, it’ll be great.”

The sound of thunder breaking and strong waves crashing against the docks snaped Sora out of his thinking. Peering out of his bedroom window, he spotted dark clouds cracking with lightning on the horizon. Fear drenched him in cold, as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over him.

“A storm? Oh, no, the Raft!” He yelped, bolting up in bed.

“Sore, dinner’s ready.” His mother called from the entrance to the kitchen, already undoing her apron. When she didn’t hear the pattering of feet on the stairs, she tried again. “Come on down. Sora?”

Azara nibbled her lip in worry. It wasn’t like Sora not to respond. 

“Oh, right,” Horizaeon mused. “I heard thunder outside. Sora must have heard it and become worried about the raft he and his friends built.”

“…I hope he’s alright. Storms make the water choppy and hard to navigate.” Azara mumbled.

“Dear, our son’ll be fine. I taught him how to navigate any water, and the other island is only a short distance from us.” Horizaeon said softly, soothing his wife’s worried. “Once he’s sure the raft is fine, He’ll be racing back home for dinner with an extra appetite!”

Azara chuckled. “You’re right. Sora’s a mature boy, he’ll be fine.”

“It’s not like we won’t see each other again…”

In the sky above the smaller island, a large ball of darkness with a swirling core mute red and yellow stood affixed in place.

“What’s that?” He breathed.

“It radiates with darkness, pitch and unforgiving.” Dusk observed beside him, shoulds tense. “I don’t like it, I feel danger- be careful!” They warned.

At the docks, the pair found two other boats already tethered. One had to be Riku’s, and the other’s Kairi’s.

“Riku’s boat- and Kairi’s!” They must have had the same worries he had.

Before he could think about it further, a familiar, eerie sound dragged him back to reality. Emerging from the sand just outside the boundary of the dock, black shadowy creaturs with beady yellow eyes stared back. The same shadow monsters from the dream world Dusk had taken him to. His heart sank as he recalled fight them, and the battle with the larger monster.

“Shadows!” Dusk hissed. “Run- that toy sword of yours can’t hurt them in the real world!”

Not needing to be told twice, Sora ran. Running across the beach, sand kicking up behind him, he spotted Riku standing on the small mini-island. There was one, Kairi wasn't with him, but maybe he knew where she was. The shadows, as dusk called them, were close at his heels as Sore scaled the different ground levels in an attempt to reach his friend.

Sora managed to reach the bridge mostly unscathed. Crossing the wooden arch, Riku’s back was to him when he made it.

“Riku, do you know where Kairi is? Have you seen here?” Sora asked desperately.

“The door, has opened…” Riku said, words hauntingly similar to the man in the brown robes.

“What?” Sore said, feeling his nerves race.

“The door has opened, Sore!” Riku repeated, turning around to face him with gleaming aqua-colored eyes. “Now we can go to the outside world!”

“What are you talking about?” Sora snapped. “There are monsters crawling around- and we’ve gotta find Kairi!”

Kairi’s coming with us!” Riku insisted. “She’ll be right behind us! Trust me.” Letting his shoulders slacken, the silver-haired boy looked up at the sphere of darkness. It was practically right above them, transfixed in the air above their heads. “Once we step through, we might not be able to come back. We may never see our parents again. There’s no turning back.”

Riku’s eyes gleamed with the determination and resolve of someone who’s made up their mind, and couldn’t be talked down from the edge. “But this may be our only chance. We can’t let fear stop us! I’m not afraid of the darkness!”

“…It isn’t the darkness that should be feared, but those with cruel hearts that seek to twist the darkness for their own selfish purposes.” Dusk muttered.

Riku looked at Sora, and held out his hand. He was reminded of that part of the dream, where Riku had done the same, before they were both consumed by the ocean just before he could reach him. At that time, Dusk had asked if he believed he could save them.

“Riku…” He murmured somberly.

Beneath their feet, a pool of darkness, like the one that tried to swallow him up in the world of hearts, appeared. Wispy tendrils of darkness snaked around them, trying to drag them down. Riku didn’t so much as flinch as they ghosted along his skin. Sora felt fear consume him. Panicked, he reached out for Riku’s hand. This time, he just had to reach it. With the tips of Riku’s gloved fingers just barely apart from his own, Sora felt hope rise in his chest. Just a little more, and he’d reach the other!

Before he could grab that outstretched hand, The world descended into blackness. Faintly, he heard Dusk calling his name, the sounds far, far away. When he thought he would be lost in the darkness, a light ignited, bright and comforting and safe. Reeling back, Sore found himself back on the small speck of land.

Riku was gone.

He found his fingers curled tight around a cylindrical form. Grasped in his left hand, was the hilt of some sword-sized key-shaped weapon. In his mind, the word “Keyblade,” echoed in a cacophony of several different voices.

“Sora!” Dusk hissed into his ear, snapping him back to the present. “with the number of shadows crawling about, I don’t think your would will last much longer…” They sucked in a break. “Riku is already gone, Kairi is near the door- go find her before something else does.”

Spurred on by his friend’s grim warning, Sora raced over the bridge in the direction of the hidden cove. Instead of a tunnel leading in deeper, he found a door like the one from his dream; pale pink and silver. It still opened up to the dark tunnel leading to the small cave. The shadows seemed deeper, eerier as he dan through the gloom. Emerging into the dimly lit cave with scribbles on the walls, Sore found his other friend.

“Kairi!” He called, relief flooding his veins.

The red-headed girl stood before the strange door, turning sluggishly to face him at the sound of his voice. Her eyes were droopy and tired, like she was in a trance, or half-asleep.

“Sore…” She mumbled, voice listless and hollow.

Her footing staggered for a moment, then she reached out to him. At that exact moment, the door behind her burst open, the room flooding with darkness. Sora felt himself become blinded by the gale winds and inky shadows. He regained his vision just in time to see Kairi get blown forward towards him, her body tossed like a twig in stormy winds.

Sora opened his arms to catch her. Instead of her body crashing against his, Kairi phased partly through him, then vanished. The wind pulled and gained speed. The hurricane gale-force pushed him back, sending him flying through the dark tunnel. Sora soon found himself landing on sandy ground, wind howling around him.

“Sora!” Dusk called.

Groaned, the brunette heaved himself to his knees, feeling slightly dizzy from being tossed around like a leaf. Fate, however, was not yet ready to give him rest. Looking forward, the boy quickly realized he was staring out into a dark voice on a floating chunk of sandy earth.

“Behind you!”

Turning as he rose steadily to his feet, Sora found himself looking up as the familiar dark form of the giant monster from his dream. Reading the strange key-weapon, the boy charged just as his foe began its own attack. It attacked in much the same manner it had back in the world of hearts; summoning the smaller shadows to attack, and blasting at him with specks of violet energy.

Something about this fight seemed easier, and yet harder. The shadows were more vicious, and the monster itself attacked more erratically. Eventually, Sora managed to carve out some form of small victory. Slashing its hands for the nth time with the body of his weapon, the lumbering monster halted abruptly. The triumph the spiky-haired boy felt was cut short when the orb of darkness above them began sucking everything in. Grabbing a chunk of a wooden wall for hearing life, he watched as the monster was sucked in.

The wind was swirling around him, kicking up a storm of sand that made his eyes burn and tear-up. His fingers were starting to feel numb and slick, the strange force and the howling wind both tugging at his body. His desperate attempt at survival was cut short when his fingers slipped.

“Sore, be brave!” Dusk called out to him. “Your heart is strong, the darkness will not end you, not here, not before you’ve opened the door.”


	4. Town of Lost Travlers

“—ra! Sora! For the love of- Sore! Wake up!”

Sapphire eyes fluttered open to the sound of Dusk’s voice frantic and fearful as something warm and wet was dragged up his cheek. Sora groaned tiredly as he looked around. Looming above him was Dusk, red-amber eyes wide and practically glowing with concern. Next to them was, a dog? Sore didn’t recognize the breed, but his brain insisted on labeling the yellow, panting animal with the green collar as a ‘dog’. Even if it looked nothing like the ones from the island.

“What a dream…” He groaned. His eyes were heavy, and all Sora wanted to do was fall back asleep.

“Hey! Don’t you dare fall back asleep!” Dusk cried.

Sora’s eyes fluttered closed, breathing shallowing out as he drifted back off. Before the brunette-haired boy could fully fall back asleep, the strange dog jabbed both front paws into the boy’s chest. Effectively startling him awake. Sora cried out as his eyes snapped open, very much awake and alert this time.

Blue eyes darted around, taking in an actual, comprehensive assessment of his surroundings. The paved ground underneath him and the stone wall against his back were unfamiliar. They certainly were neither his bedroom nor the little beach with the raft.

“This isn’t a dream!” He said. The realization was like a bucket of cold water against his skin.

“No, none of it was.” Dusk affirmed, fear draining from their soft features.

Sora rose to his feet slowly, sapphire eyes dragging across everything in sight. “Where am I?” he mumbled. Nothing looked familiar; not the buildings, not the street, not even the night sky above him. “Oh, boy.” He grumbled. “Hey, Dusk, where are we?”

The dark-haired wanderer shrugged. “Someplace that isn’t your home. That’s all I know.”

It had been a long shot. Outside of their homeworld, the only other world Dusk had visited was Destiny Islands. Still, Sora huffed out a quiet, frustrated breath at his friend’s lack of information on their shared situation.

“Do you know where we are?” Sora asked, crouching down so he was at eye level with the strange dog.

One of the mutt’s dark, floppy ears perked up, and the yellow hand took off down the alleyway. “Hey!” Sora cried.

“…I advise we look for someone to talk to. We need information.” Dusk said.

Sora nodded. There was only one direction they could go at this point. Part of the alley he’d woken up in was blocked off with a hazardous pile of wooden boxes and broken wood scraps built up in a makeshift barricade. They didn’t have to travel far before the alley opened up into a spacious, open plaza. There were a few people out, none of the facers were from people he knew.

“We really are in another world!” Sora said. Beside him, Dusk chuckled at his enthusiasm.

Behind them was the entrance to a shop. The large sign on the front was embellished with glowing yellow lights to welcome in customers. ‘Accessory Shop’, so it was a place to buy trinkets and stuff? Sora looked to Dusk for guidance, maybe some advice. The wandered shrugged, then pointed at the door. Shops likely had people moving in and out to buy stuff, and were a good place to get information, gossip if nothing else.

Pushing the wooden double doors open, the pair stepped inside. The accessory shop was smaller than Sora had been expecting, but had this inviting feel to it. Close to the entrance was a stone fireplace, larger than what a shop it’s size actually needed. The logs stacked inside were unlit, but the space was warm enough that a fire would be unnecessary. The far wall contained displays of the various merchandise (mostly necklaces and large hair ornaments) for sale. In the middle of the room was a smaller display case with smaller trinkets; rings, pretty stone pins, tiny earrings.

Behind the wooden counter, a grim-faced older man with short blond hair pushed back by a pair of goggles stood. The wooden stick-like object in his mouth bounced up and down from boredom until he noticed the open door.

The man plastered on his most welcoming, friendly smile. “Hey there, how can I…” His mood dropped, a scowl replacing the smile as he realized it was Sora standing there. “Aw, it’s only a kid.”

“I’m not a kid!” Sora pouted, puffing his cheeks up in displeasure. “And, the name’s Sora!”

“…Sora, that doesn’t not make you a kid,” Dusk chuckled. Sora ignored them.

“Okay, okay, simmer down.” The shop keeper sighed. “So, why the long face Sora? You lost or somethin’?”

“No! Well, maybe.” Sora sighed. “Where are we? This doesn’t seem like Destiny Island.”

“Huh? Oh, I get it, you must be new here.” The blond shopkeep said. “The world we’re in now is called Traverse Town.”

“Traverse Town…?” Sora repeated. “So, gramps, is this really another world?”

“Don’t call me gramps!” The man snapped. “The name’s Cid! Anyway… Not sure what you're talkin’ about, but this sure ain’t your island.”

“Hmm… Guess I’d better start looking for Riku and Kairi.” Sora said, mostly to himself.

“Well, good luck with whatever it is you’re doing,” Cid said. “If you ever run into trouble, you come to me.” The man bumped the pad of one thumb across his nose. “I’ll look out for you.” 

Sora smiled at the gruff shopkeepers' sudden change in attitude. Cid might look rough on the outside, but he was a good person at heart. Dusk smiled. Men like him, those whose kind interiors that didn’t match their hard exterior were some of the best to have as friends. They were reliable when you needed them, and didn’t easily back down from a challenge.

Cid was more than happy (even if he didn’t look it) to explain a rough layout of Traverse Town. The part of town they were located in was the first district, one of three. Most of the time, travel between all districts were open, but with the recent influx of minsters, most gates between the three districts were sealed for the time. It was a wise choice, even if it inconvenienced people. Because of the monsters and the lockdown, commerce was slow, unsurprising.

Thanking the blond for his time and assistance, Sora and Dusk exited the shop, reentering the plaza that made up most of the first district.

“Sooo, now what?” Sora asked.

“Hmm, well, there’s not much we haven’t seen in the first district,” Dusk mused. “I suppose we move onto the other two districts and see what we can find.”

It wasn’t that hard to find an entrance to the second district. Part of the road looped around the back of Cid’s shop, where another was located. The doors were shut, and a small, round, and white creature (it introduced itself as a moogle) explained that was the item synthesis shop, and it was closed for the time being. A little past that was a largeish set of wooden doors that, if the sign was correct, lead into the second district.

Shoving the doors open, the pair were quickly greeted by the sight of a frightened man in a blue vest running from something. The poor guy tripped, legs flying out beneath him. Before either could react, light exploded from the man’s chest, a transparent heart glowing in a soft read flew out. It was opalescent, like glass, but rippled like light through water. The shimmering, glowing ‘heart’ flew through the air and into a pocket of shadow.

Sora was rooted in place by surprise. Beside him, Dusk crouched low, black hair standing on end similar to the way cats fluffed up their coats. Their lips were pulled back into a snarl, body braced to react in an instant. A lanky creature wrapped in darkness emerged from the void-pocket the heart had flown into, its lanky limbs twitching as it stood in silence, then vanished into thin air.

Broken out of his stupor, Sora ran to where the man had once been. There was no person, no body, not a single trace that anyone had been collapsed on the ground mere seconds earlier.

“Sore, look out!” Dusk snarled. “They're here!”

The tiny black, bug-like monsters from back on the island emerged from the ground. Their tiny, tanky bodies twitched and spasmed as big, yellow eyes stared at him. Before Sora could panic over a sudden lack of a weapon, the key-esk weapon he’d used earlier manifested in his hands. Wrapping his fingers around the hilt of his weapon, Sora grit his teeth and braced for the oncoming attacks.

“Those creatures from the island! They must’ve been the monsters Cid mentioned!” If he remembered correctly, Dusk had called them shadows. Had that big monster from seconds ago, the one that seemed to have stolen the man’s heart, been a shadow as well? There wasn’t time to think about that.

“Be careful, Sora!” Dusk called. “these things are weak, but they come in great numbers. Don’t let them overwhelm you!”

Heeding his friend’s warning, Sora ducked between two monsters to escape being encircled. Bringing the body of his weapon down on the head of the nearest monster, Sora felt the resistance of his weapon connecting against its tiny black body. It was different from when he had been using his wooden sword, that weapon had harmlessly bassed through them. Now? He had a means to fight back.

Fighting his way through the plaza of the second district, Sora saw what Dusk meant by great numbers. The moment he had one pack of monsters defeated, another was emerging from the shadows, hot on his heels. There was little the red-amber eyed wanderer could do to assist him. Barely anything more than a phantom, Dusk had no means by which to interact with the creaturs, but that also meant they ignored the wanderer, and were unable to harm them.

Undistracted by constant fighting, Dusk was able to guide Sora through the hordes of foes to someplace that might be safe. Tackling the door with a sign above the read ‘hotel’, Sore found a brief moment of peace from the monsters. The pair were able to travel down the hallway undisturbed. The door took them back out onto the street, thankfully the coast was clear.

A frustrated voice and it’s calm counterpart draw Dusk’s attention. Looking over their shoulder, they spotted a white, duck(?) dressed in blue and some sort of non-human in a green coat. They seemed to be talking about something, the duck stoping the ground in anger. Dusk thought nothing of the pair as they followed Sora through another door, the placard on it had read ‘gizmo shop’. Inside was a space that looked nothing like a store, but definitely was a workshop of some kind. 

Strange machines of unknown purpose filled up most of the space, some of the colorful gears twirled while others remained stopped in place. Neither had much time to fully appreciate the strange machines, as the shadows descended upon them nearly instantaneously. Sora had grown used to dealing with the monsters and their simple attacks, but the sheer number of foes was becoming a problem. Dusk could hear the ragged gasping his breathing was slowly devolving into, and see the time lag between each swing of his key-weapon grow longer.

They needed to find a safe place and soon. Sora’s stamina wouldn’t hold out much longer at this rate.

Thankfully, whoever owned the strange workshop had possessed enough foresight to arrange their machines in such a way that left enough space to form a wide path that connected both doors of the workshop. Sora was able to carve his way through the swarms of enemies to the other side. Bolting outside, they found themselves in a small pocket of spice just above an alleyway connected to the second district's plaza. There was a ladder, old but in decent repair, directly in front of them, but it was propped up against a wall that led to nowhere.

With no time to spare, Sora jumped into the alleyway and ran in the direction opposite to the plaza. A few short feet away from where they had dropped down, the pain managed to find an unlocked door, pained a crisp white and outfitted with lovely blue stained glass paneling, and duck inside. Fleeing inside to hopefully safety, Dusk caught sight of the Duck and bipedal hound exiting the door they’d just come from.

When nothing jumped out at him, Sora took this as a sign it was safe and collapsed onto the ground. His chest heaved as he worked on regaining his breath. Dusk looked around. They seemed to be in a foyer of some kind, tastefully decorated with a comfy looking orange couch. There was a piano sitting in one corner, with what looked like a bass leaning against the wall next to it. In the corner opposite of the piano was a small desk and chair, the desk was covered in scattered paper and books.

Sora froze when a door leading deeper into the home slowly creaked open. Instead of a person, a pair of dalmatians emerged from the doorway, one male and the other female. Sora relaxed, he didn’t really want to explain to a total strange why he’d been collapsed on the floor right in front of their front door catching his breath. The dogs were friendly, giving the brunette boy curious sniffs of his hands, clothes, and face before deeming him friendly. Sora ran his fingers over the short black and white fur of the male dog, smiling as he received a lick to his cheek.

“Heh, that tickles!” Sora giggled. 

Dusk watched the younger boy as he rained affection down on the two dogs, and received such in turn. Sora had needed that pick me up after all the fighting. They hadn’t found any sign of Riku or Kairi being in Traver Town, and Dusk wasn’t sure the two were in this world. They remembered how Riku had been spirited off by the shadows, practically sinking into it while Sora struggled to reach him. The pale-haired boy was probably in a different world. Were the shadows chasing him as relentlessly?

Dusk was pulled from their musings by the sound of many small paws trouncing against the floor. Starring as the partly ajar door the two dalmatians had come from, they watched as the door swung wide open a second time, shoved by the small, eager bodies of some 40 or so dalmatian puppies. Sora yelped as the mass of puppies descended upon him like a tsunami wave.

The incorporeal raven was unable to fully suppress their chuckle as Sora found himself nearly drowning under the affections of about 40 puppies all trying to crawl over him at the same time. The two adult dogs, the puppies’ parents most likely, watched their brood from the sideline, unfazed. Whoever lived in their house certainly had a love for dalmatians. There was no way the two were related to all 40 or so, considering the puppies were all close in age to one another, so most of them had to have been adopted by the owner. Dusk shook their head. 42 dog sounded like a lot, especially if most of them were still puppies, but who were they to judge.

“H-help!” They head Sora call from around the monsoon of black and white fur.

“Sorry, you're asking the wrong person,” Dusk called back, teasingly.

It took somewhere between 8 and 10 minutes before Sora could free himself, the amount of time for the bulk of the puppies to become bored and move elsewhere in the house. When the boy could sit back up, he gasped for air a few times as if he’d almost drowned, then shot Dusk a dirty look. The wanderer shrugged.

“I’m incorporeal, remember?” They reminded him.

Sora huffed and muttered something under his breath that was too low for them to hear as he shoved the front door open and stomped back into the alleyway. Dusk chuckled and followed after. The hoards of shadows made it easy to get turned around and lost from all the fighting, but the pair eventually managed to find their way to the door leading to the third district. After somehow getting lost in a back street that ran behind the hotel.

Unlike the first and second districts which contained shops and homes, the third contained a large, elegant cathedral-like building as well as a plaza. The third district's plaza had walls on all sides, with only a single staircase leading down. The walls were lined with lamps and small lights that let people look down from above safely. Built into the corner right in front of the cathedral was a large fountain, the water sparkled and shimmered from the lights above. Sora stared down at it with wide, excited eyes in the brief moment of pause they had between packs of creaturs leaping at him.

The gate that normally would have led directly to the first district was closed off, as many others were, forcing the pair to have to backtrack back through the second district to reach the third. Breathing a sigh of relief at the familiar sight of Cid’s accessory shop, Sora stumbled inside and slumped against the counter. They hadn’t been able to find any sign of Riku or Kairi, Sora’s spirit was starting to drop.

“Hey, why the long face?” Cid asked.

“I couldn’t find any sign of my friends, and I kept getting chased around by these monsters,” The boy sighed, dejected. “I’m starting to wonder if I was the only one who actually made it off the island.”

“Cheer up,” Cid huffed, clacking Sora on the back. “There are a bunch of places here that aren’t easy to get to. You’re friends probably meant someone else and are waiting for ya in one of those places.”

Sora perked up at this. “You think so?”

“Well, I know to reach Melin’s house, you need to have fire magic, and if I remember correctly, some of the underground houses require a special gimmick to access them.” The blond Shopkeeper explained. “So, I don’t see why one of your friends weren't picked up by someone like that.

“Heh, your right, I’ll try looking again. Hopefully, the monsters give me a break this time.” Sora grinned.

“Geeze, guess you weren't exaggerating when you said those things were houndin’ you. Be careful, those monsters aren’t to be taken lightly.” Cid warned. “If you ever feel you’ve bitten off somethin’ bigger than you can chew, run here immediately, got that?”

“I will, thanks!” Sora replied over his shoulder.

Dusk smiled. They knew Cid’s kind; the tough guy with a good heart deep down. His kind were a reliable sort, ones that were dependable when you needed them, and could keep you grounded if things started to get overwhelming. They were glad he was the first person the two had encountered in this world, and more than happy they had his on their side.

The pair stepped back out into the plaza, ready for round two of their search. Sora had his weapon out, ready for when the shadows tried attacking again.

“They’ll come at you out of nowhere.” A voice said in cryptic warning.

After constantly fighting monsters, Sora was on high alert. “Who are you?” He demanded, turning to face the stranger.

A man dressed in a short black leather jacket and pants stepped out from the shadows of a corner, his hard eyes stared at Sora with a critical sort of analysis, assessing him. 

“And they’ll keep on coming at you,” The stranger continued, lifting a dark gloved hand to point at the weapon Sora held. “As long as you continue to wield the keyblade.”

Dusk hummed. They could feel no malice in the stranger, no evil in his heart. Whoever he was, the stranger with long brunette hair that was darker than Sora’s, and a scar that ran jagged between his steely eyes, he currently meant Sora no harm. Still, that didn’t mean they could trust him just yet. They could feel the hum of another’s heart, hiding just out of sight. A partner of the man’s, or a third party?

“By why?” The man brought a gloved hand to his face. “Why would it choose a kid like you?”

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?” Sora snapped. He hated being talked down to like that, belittled just because of his youth and inexperience.

“Never Mind.” The man replied flatly. “Now, let’s see that keyblade.”

Sora griped the kingdom key tight in both hands as the stranger approached. The heels of his boots clicked against the ground with each step. Keyblade. Was that a new name for the kingdom keys, or just key-weapons in general? The man had referred to Sora’s weapon in the singular, did he knew the power and importance of the weapon the boy wielded?

“What? There’s no way you’re getting this!” Sora barked, taking up a battle stance. He had seen the way Dusk had glanced at the weapon, regret and sorrow hiding deep in those red-amber eyes. This weapon held importance to them, and was the only thing that worked against the shadow creatures. He remembered how his wooden sword had passed through those things back on Destiny Islands, their tiny bodies as untouchable as air.

“All right, then have it your way.” The man replied flatly.

Annoyance flared in the man’s heart as he pulled out an unfamiliarly designed sword, but no real hostility. Whoever he was, he didn’t consider Sora much of a threat, not with how casual and relaxed his posture was by the way he carried that sword, blade resting on one broad shoulder.

“Sora, be careful,” Dusk warned. “This man is no stranger to combat.”

“Well, neither am I!” Sora hissed.

Dusk cursed as they watched the boy charge recklessly at the older man. His sparring with Riku and the other children on the island, and his recent fights with the shadows certainly had given him some combat experience, but Sora was by no means ready to fight someone who probably had years of life-or-death combat experience under his belt.

Sora was able to use his smaller, lighter body and weapon to duck under the stranger’s first swing and get a few hits in, but was forced to retreat when a few scattered fireballs were thrown at him. Dusk knew the feel of magic, no not only was this man a veteran sword fighter, but he had some experience with magic as well. Sora, who had yet to learn even basic magic of any kind, and who had little true combat experience to speak of, was at a great disadvantage. Dusk cast a cautious glace where the other person was watching from. For now, it seems they were content with watching the fight unfold. Good, Sora’s defeat would be ensured if someone else joined the fray.

The stranger was stronger and more experienced than Sora, but his weapon was heavier, his swings slower. If Sora was to claim a victory, he would need to use that to his advantage.

“Sora, use your speed!” Dusk advised. “His attacks are slower than yours! You need to get in close and attack in between his own.”

The stranger might have several things above Sora, but there were a few things the boy had in turn to compensate. One of those was a friend who’s decads of battle experience trumped his foe’s. The raven-haired wanderer was calmly able to help guide Sora throughout the fight. Because of their incorporeal nature, they couldn’t directly help the boy, but that also meant the stranger couldn’t stop them from guiding the boy.

Fire nipped at Sora’s skin and clothes. It was a smidge easier to dodge the flames that would escape the man’s sword than it was to avoid those fireballs he lobed, but the boy was still taking damage. The only upside was that he was giving as good as he got. Bam, bam, bam. Dusk watched as whenever the man used fire magic on his sword, he pulled a trigger of some kind right before the blade connected with Sora, giving an extra kick to the explosion. 

Pouring all his strength into one final right swing, Sore and Dusk watched with satisfaction as the body of his weapon connected with their assailant’s right flank. Gasping for breath, they watched the stranger collapse onto one knee, head bowed from exertion as the tip of his sword clattered against the brick-lined ground.

“Now… You’re… gonna… -you’re gonna…!” Sora panted.

Even more tired and beaten from the fight than his opponent, Sora fell backward and collapsed on the ground. Thankfully, there were no serious wounds present, the boy had just collapsed from sheer exhaustion. Dusk didn’t blame him, after all that back-to-back fighting, Sora deserved a break.

“Aw, you’re slipping, Leon.” A woman’s voice teased.

The man rose slowly to his feet and looked over his shoulder. Dusk recognized the young woman behind him as the person who’d been watching the fight from the shadows. Her dark eyes glittered with mischief as she pranced up to the man. Her dark hair was cut short, a direct contrast to the long locks of dark brunette that tumbled past her friend’s shoulders, and framed her soft face. 

“I went easy on him.” The man, Leon, huffed.

Yes, Leon had gone very easy on Sora. He had purposely not bothered to speed up his attacks during the fight, one of the only fighting chances Sora had possessed. Neither Leon nor his friend possessed any malice towards Sora, or the weapon in his possession. They sensed a small bit of curiosity towards the weapon, and from Leon there was concern.

“Looks like things are worse than we thought. A lot worse.” Leon said flatly.

They watched quietly as the man bent down and hefted Sora over his shoulder.

“Yuffie, has Arith met up with the king’s men yet?”

“Nope, those two are still wandering around blind as a bat,” The dark-haired girl replied, sighing and shaking her head. “but, I don’t think it’ll be long now. There’s only so far you can get lost in Traverse Town at the moment.”

Dusk watched as the pair talked, or, as the woman named Yuffie chattered off about a few different things while Leon appeared to tune her out most of the time. There was a distinct lack of shadows on their way, Yuffie easily dispatching with the few that showed up. The hotel was as empty as it had been when they and Sora had taken shelter there. Leon deposited Sora on the bed in the green room, then quickly knelt down to carefully pry the boy’s fingers off of his kingdom key, or keyblade.

Yuffie stared at the wey-shaped weapon with wonder as Leon quickly propped it up against a wall close to the bed.

“So this is the keyblade,” she gasped. “hard to believe this is the ultimate weapon against the heartless. For something so powerful, you’d think it would be, I dunno, grander?”

Leon snorted as he leaned up against a wall. “I’m more concerned that the keyblade, the weapon that’s supposed to banish the darkness, chose a kid as it’s master.”

Dusk knitted their brows in confusion. A weapon to banish the darkness? While it was true the kingdom key in Sora’s possession was the key of light, it wasn’t a tool meant to banish darkness. Things weren’t looking good. Dusk had been aware that enough time had passed between their ‘death’ and escaping the nothingness that their world had fractured into several different worlds. But, the fact people were becoming weary of darkness was a foreboding sign.

Something had deeply, wrongly changed in the fundamental laws of the world. More than that, there was an acute lack of guardians with key-weapons. Dusk hadn’t thought much of it back in the peacefulness of Destiny Islands, but to learn that shadows roamed as they pleased, and no one stepped in to cull their numbers. What had happened to their guardians?

More importantly, why had the kingdom key of light been masterless in the first place? It had last been in the possession of one of their apprentices. And, where was the kingdom key of darkness? Was it too masterless?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words cannot express of deeply frustrated I was to post this chapter, then see the next day that about half of it had been deleted in editing by accident, and that I had to rewrite that latter half. Well, at least I'm a lot happier with the flow this time.


	5. The start of an Adventure

The roar of water was nearly deafening, the sound pouring in from all around him. Riku felt his eyes burn for a moment as he forced them open. The ground he was sprawled out over was cool, almost icy, but surprisingly dry despite the din of rushing water. As his eyes cleared and his vision fell back into focus, the silver-haired boy was greeted by the sight of a monstrous wall of crashing water.

Groaning, he forced his body to rise, weight shifting. First, he heaved his hands and knees beneath his tired, sore body and lifted the rest of him off the ground with a groan. Moving his weight backward, onto his feet, and off of his knees, Riku stood up slowly, the sudden shift made his vision wobble for a few short seconds.

“Where… am I?” He muttered quietly, voice a tiny note among the thunders of water.

Looking around, Riku found himself in an unfamiliar place. Water surrounded him, rushing up the steep, high walls of the basin he’d woken up in like one giant reverse waterfall. There was nothing like this on any part of the Destiny Islands of his home. The ground he’d awoken on was a chunk of floating stone, pulled from a stone road of some kind. The only path connected to his tiny chunk of rock were several floating platforms of ice that lead up.

“Sora! Kairi!” Riku shouted at the top of his lungs. His shouting was lost, drowned under the howls of the water around him, leaving not even a faint echo.

Unless they were beyond the basin of reverse falling water, his friends were not here. In this place made up of floating platforms, there wasn’t exactly any place to hide. Riku felt the barest bite of despair. Where were they, where were his friends? He remembered Sora reaching out to him, back on the little play island right before the writhing darkness spirited him away. Had his brunette friend managed to reach him in time to follow?

Riku could only hope all of them had made it off the island, and that his two missing friends were just someplace else. Something deep in his gut bleakly told him that if they hadn’t made it off the island, something back would have happened.

“Come on, lazy bum. Wake up!” Kairi’s voice teasingly chided.

Sora groaned softly as he sat up, the bed beneath him silently creaking as his weight shifted. His head was fuzzy and floaty, like someone had stuffed it full of cotton. Through hazy eyes, he spotted the red-headed girl standing at his bedside, lips quirked into a soft smile.

“You okay?” She asked, voice much softer and gentler than her previous tone. Her head tilted to one side slightly, scarlet locks feathering to the left.

“I guess…” He answered. Even with his thoughts partly scattered and his vision fuzzy, Sora could let the room he was in was unfamiliar. Why? And, why was there a lingering ache in his fingers, had he fought Riku and lost spectacularly? Wait- he remembered, it wasn't Riku, but some strange brunette man with a weird sword.

“Those creatures that attacked you are after the Keyblade.” Kairi informed him. “but it’s your heart they really want, because you wield the Keyblade.”

Heartless, Keyblade? None of what his friend was saying made any sense. Also, where was Riku? Why were they in this unfamiliar room? Sora had a lot of questions. But, they could wait. He remembered what happened on the island, and how hard he had been looking for both the girl standing at his bedside and their absent friend.

“I’m so glad that you’re okay, Kairi.” Sora said instead.

“Kairi, who are you talking about?” The redheaded girl asked.

“I’m the great ninja Yuffie.” An unfamiliar woman’s voice boasted proudly.

Blinking, Sora’s vision cleared and the fog in his head evaporated. Peering down at him with wide, dark eyes was someone old enough to be his mom’s younger sister. Her hair was brushed to the left, shorter than Kairi’s and black instead of muted maroon red.

“I think you might’ve overdone it, Squall.” She said over her shoulder.

The stranger from earlier, the one who’d attacked him, pulled away from the wall he’d been leaning against and scowled. “That’s Leon.” He corrected her flatly.

Before the brunette boy could panic, a familiar face was approaching his bedside, red-amber eyes glinting with relief.

“Sora, you’ve finally woken up.” Dusk sighed. “Don’t worry about these people, their hearts contain no malice towards you.”

Sora nodded, trusting his incorporeal friend’s senses, then looked over at the man- Leon. Over by where the older youth was standing, was the familiar key-shaped weapon he’d been using while looking for his friends. Back in front of Cid’s shop, Leon had called it the Keyblade. Yuffie had also used that term. She must have also been referring to his strange weapon because it was shaped oddly like a key.

“The Keyblade…” he breathed.

“Yeah, we had to get it away from you to shake off those creatures,” Yuffie explained, waving a pointer finger as she stalked over to the older brunette. “It turns out that’s how they were tracking you.”

“It was the only way to conceal your heart from them.” Leon added, crossing his arms. “but it won’t work for long.”

Sora had let his head droop as the older two had talked, processing this sudden influx of new information as best he could. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Dusk bob their head thoughtfully, Leon and Yuffie’s words probably meant more to them than they did him.

“Still, hard to believe that you of all people are the chosen one,” Leon muttered.

As Leon spoke, Sora lifted his head and watched as the older brunette bend down to Grable the Keyblade by it’s handle. Wordlessly, he gave the weapon an experimental swing, torso twisted partly left, arm extended as he held out the Keyblade. One moment, the Keyblade was in Leon’s hand, the next it was vanishing in a flash of light only to reappear in Sora’s hand.

“The Kingdom Key can only be wielded by it’s chosen, it will always return to you.” Dusk explained.

Stepping closer, Leon started at him, Keyblade and all, and snorted. “Well, I suppose beggars can’t be choosers.”

“Why don’t you start making sense!” Sora huffed. “What’s going on here?”

Leon rolled his eyes, not amused by the boy’s attempt at intimidation. Behind him, Yuffie snickered.

“So, I suppose you know already that there are other worlds out there, besides your home,” Yuffie started.

Sora nodded. “Yeah, my friend and I talked about it a lot, then tonight I woke up here in Traverse Town. What about it?”

“Well, the existence of other worlds is supposed to be kept secret,” She explained. “and that’s been the status quo for a long time now,”

“The many different worlds that exist normally aren’t connected,” Leon piped in flatly. “With no connected, and no way to travel to other worlds, there was no point in making the existence of other worlds common knowledge. That, and the world order,” Leon huffed at something only Yuffie seemed to understand. “Then, the heartless came, and everything changed.”

“The heartless?” Sora echoed.

The ones who attacked you, you remember?” Yuffie reminded him. While Leon had been talking, the dark-haired ninja had returned to the bed and sat down. Thankfully, by then Dusk had shifted over to Sora’s other side.

“Those without hearts.” Leon summarized. Dusk pursed their lips.

“The darkness in people’s hearts- that’s what attracts them,” Yuffie said.

“And there is darkness within every heart,” Leon added.

“Hey, have you heard of someone named Ansem?” Yuffie asked.

“Ansem?” Sora parroted.

Yuffie nodded. “He was an important person where Leon and I came from, everyone knew him as this wise figure who researched just about everything in our world.”

“When the heartless came to our world, Ansem and his apprentices studied them. Everything he and his apprentices learned was recorded in a very detailed report.” Leon explained.

Dusk’s fingers curled into tight fists. Heartless… the name was so appropriate it stung. The people of this time didn’t know the truth about those pitiful creatures. Only a select few guardians had known the full truth; those they had trained to bear the burden of the kingdom keys when the original wielders were unable. Just as Darkness had now become something feared, the heartless had now become creatures of mystery.

“So, what are the heartless? What does Ansem’s report say about ‘em?” Sora asked.

“We don’t know,” Yuffie answered.

“When the heartless plunged our world into darkness, the pages of Ansem’s report became scattered across many different worlds.” Leon explained. “too many worlds to search, and all of them teaming with heartless.”

“The heartless are immune to most weapons, even magic is only a temporary solution; defeating a heartless only forces it to reappear elsewhere,” Yuffie added.

“What? Then how are we supposed to beat them?” Sora whined. Dusk turned away, staring at the wall beside them.

“There is one thing the heartless aren’t immune to, and that is the key in your possession,” Leon said. “The key that is said to banish darkness, exorcise the heartless, and seal the worlds so that they cannot fall to darkness.”

Sora lifted the weapon in question, staring at it. “So… this is the key?” The Keyblade didn’t look like anything special. It was an oversized key with a handle, there was no blade or sharp edge for cutting. But, despite its simplicity, Sora could feel power in it.

“Exactly!” Yuffie confirmed, nodding her head.

“The heartless have great fear of the Keyblade,” Leon said. That’s why they’ll keep coming after you no matter what.” The heels of the older man’s boots clacked against the wood floor as he walked farther away from the bed.

“Well, I didn’t ask for this,” Sora replied.

“They Keyblade chooses its master,” Yuffie explained.” And it chose you!” Her mouth quirked into a wide smile.

“So tough luck,” Leon said with a wave of his arm, leaning back against the spot he’d been in when Sora first woke up, arms crossed.

“How did all this happen?” Everything was happening so fast. “I remember being in my room…” Sora remembered laying on his bed, Kairi’s strange words echoing in his head as he waited for dinner. Then there was the storm, and he rushed to check on the raft, where he found Riku… And the strange thing with Kairi. Remembering everything, Sora gasped and stood up. “Wait a minute! What happened to my home? My Island? Riku! Kairi!”

Dusk’s gaze remained transfixed to the wall, if they were more than a wandering ghost, they might have bitten a chunk out of their bottom lip by now. Yuffie looked at him sympathetically, knowing all too well the pain of losing a home.

Leon sighed. “You know what? I really don’t know.”

Sora’s shoulders slumped. After what his world had become while fighting that giant heartless, there was no way Destiny Islands still existed. His home, his other friends, his mom and dad, all gone. He’d watched as the darkness had taken Riku. Had it transported the silver-haired boy to another world like him, or had it swallowed his friend entirely? Had Kairi also been tossed into another world? Sora had seen here at the weird door, but she had vanished into thin air when everything was being sucked in.

Dusk rose from the bed. Their younger companion watched as they placed a hand on his shoulder. Though they couldn’t touch him, and he couldn’t feet the weight of the wanderer’s hand on his shoulder, Sora found comfort in the symbolic gesture. Despite everything, he wasn’t alone. That alone was enough to put his fears to rest for the time being.

Sora didn’t consider himself all that special. Kairi was the one who had washed ashore from another world, Riku was arguably the better fighter. Sure, he was the only one who could see and hear Dusk, and his great-grandmother had also come from another world, and there was also that one time it felt like he had saved someone’s life after he and Riku had met this strange blue-haired woman. But did that really make him worthy of some great weapon like the Keyblade?

Maybe, maybe not. Both Yuffie and Dusk had said the key chooses its master, and that despite all the people out there, he was chosen. It had seen something in him, something that made him worthy of the only weapon capable of fighting back against the heartless.

“Well, I can’t just keep moping around.” He sighed. “my home might be gone, but I’ve got to keep believing that Riku and Kairi are out there.”

“That’s the spirit!” Yuffie cheered. “and, with the Keyblade, there may be a way to restore your world- restore all the worlds taken by the heartless.”

“You really think so?

“The kingdom- no, the Keyblade is a tool of great power connected to kingdom hearts. While nothing like this had ever happened in my time, the Keyblade is a tool that can make anything its wielder believes a reality.” Dusk said. “Restoring a world or two should be child’s play.”

“I know so,” Yuffie affirmed. “but, first, you need to learn how to use it.”

Sora nodded. She was right, Dusk always said no power could be used properly unless the wielder knew how to use it. He’d only just obtained the strange weapon, so there would be a lot of learning to do. Dusk seemed familiar with the Keyblade, so he had a potential mentor, at least, even if that mentor was pretty much a ghost.

“I don’t know much about the Keyblade, but I have heard stories that it can open just about any lock.” She added. “might come in handy if there’s a locked chest or door you need opened.”

Sore nodded. Sounds right, the Keyblade was shaped like a giant key after all. Though Sora wasn’t quite sure how it would work, there were very few locks big enough for a key of that size. Leon was still leaning against what Sora could now see was a door, arms and legs crossed. Everything about the older brunette was coarse and hard, from the flat, monotonous tone he spoke in, to the equally as flat and sharp look ever-present on his face. The way Leon was dressed, leather jacket and gloves and pants with multiple belts, reminded Sora of those older teenagers who were always acting cocky and loud.

“Sooo, if there anything you can tell me about the Keyblade?” Sora asked.

Leon shrugged. “Most of what I’ve learned about it are from old myths and legends, it’s had to know what’s fact and what was exaggerated. All I can say definitively as that they Keyblade chooses those with strong hearts, and the between the weapon itself and the wielder's heart, the heartless with forever be drawn to you like iron to a magnet.” His lip quirked ever so slightly as Sora’s pouty expression. “You’d best prepare yourself.”

“Prepare myself?” The younger boy asked.

“To fight for your life. Are you ready?”

Sora looked at his hands, could remember the weight of the Keyblade, then looked at Dusk. Everything was still so overwhelming, suddenly finding himself as the chosen of a mythical weapon now having to fight against monsters hell-bent on taking his heart, taking his life. It would have been worse without Dusk. Even if most of their information was dated, they had done their best to explain everything to him.

“Yeah, I think I’ll manage somehow.”

Leon smiled at him, an actual smile. It was just a slight upturn of one corner of his mouth, but smirks counted. “Alright, Yuffie, let’s go join Aerith.” He said, pulling away from the door. “She should be there by now with the other visitors.”

“Alri- Leon!” The dark-haired woman cried, finger pointing to a spot over by the dresser.

The air was cracking and warping with dark energy. First an arm, then another, both tipped in red claws, followed by a helmeted head. A creature like a heartless appeared in the room, more humanoid than the shadows with longer, thicker legs and spindly arms covered in crimson claws. Yellow eyes peered out from the pitch dark void made by a metal helmet. On its chest was some black and red heart-shaped insignia or crest. The possible heartless bounced and twitched on the tiny tips of pointy booted feet.

“What in the- that mark!” Dusk cried, reeling back. “why does it have that mark?!”

“Yuffie, go!” Leon barked.

Breaking out of her frozen stupor, the dark-haired girl ran to the door her friend had once been occupying and threw it open.

Behind them, all three heard another woman’s voice call “Yuffie?” and another set of shoes rattle the floor as the person in the room over ran after Yuffie.

Leon hefted his weapon and glared at their foe. “Sora, let’s go!”

Both he and Dusk watched Leon slam his sword into the heartless, sending its shadowy body crashing through the window into the street below, then watched as Leon jumped over the balcony after the monster. Not quite as athletic as the older brunette, Sora chose the long way, darting into the hallway he instantly recognized as part of the hotel and ran for the nearest exit, Dusk matching him pace for pace.

Leon was fighting the strange heartless in the alleyway just behind the hotel, easily battering their lanky, twitchy bodies aside with a swing of his sword.

“Leon!” Sora shouted, smacking into a heartless with the Keyblade. These ones were bigger than the shadows, and weren't as easy to kill. They weren’t that much sturdier, falling in 2 or 3 hits, and mostly lunged at him with claws primed, not much different from the repetitive leaps and tackles of the shadows.

“Don’t bother with the small fry.” Leon barked. “Find the leader! Let’s go!” The older brunette took off down the alleyway to go hunt down the leader.

“So, despite being branded, they aren’t the same as the monsters I was thinking.” Dusk mused quietly. “They feel like heartless, but then why are they marked? I have a feeling I won't be pleased with the answer.

Emerging in the plaza o the second district, most of the heartless lying in wait were the sturdier helmeted heartless. Unlike the shadows who came in packs of 5 or more, these large ones preferred groups of three. Despite being minutely stronger than the basic shadows, the smaller clusters made them about as easy to deal with. Those that didn’t move about in groups of three prowled with a small following of about 4 shadows.

Fighting their way through to the first district, they Spotted Leon fighting heartless alongside Yuffie and a woman with long brown hair pulled up into a braid down her back, held up by a bright red ribbon. Yuffie held her own quite well, throwing large bladed throwing stars that forced her enemies back, darting around with speed and grace. The brunette woman stayed towards the rear, aiding her companions with magic. She wasn't helpless, the double-ended staff she wielded sent any heartless that dared get too close to her flying, the hemp of her pink dress swaying with each planned step.

The trio was doing fine on their own. None of the heartless were new, and certainly didn’t seem like a potential leader. If their target wasn’t here, then the only other place to look was the third district.

It was a short, uneventful (heartless appearing out of nowhere had quickly become part of the norm) jog through the plaza of the second district towards the door leading to the third. From the balcony looking down into the fountain plaza, there were no heartless in sight. But after fighting off sneak attacks all night, Sora knew that the heartless were prone to popping up only when you got close.

Hopping down the stairs and into the third district Plaza, the pair were greeted with a surprising lack of heartless. Normally, at least a pack or two would be popping up and attacking Sora by now, but there was none.

“Gwaaaa!” Whaaaaa!”

Dusk looked up. Huh, weren’t those the dog-person and duck from earlier? They were fairly certain that who the two trailing through the air, screaming, were. The ark of their flight was quickly turning into a fall as forward momentum conceded to downward. Oh, they were falling and… Dusk discreetly stepped away from Sora. The boy looked up just in time to see the body hurdling towards him, but too late to do more than get a step or two in from the point of impact.

The dog and duck landed in a heap on Sora with a more than an audible thud. Sora was a strong, hardy young boy, so he would be fine. Looking up just to confirm there were no other airborne parties to worry about, Dusk walked back over to the trio. They watched as the two strangers slowly woke from their daze, wide eyes landing on Sora’s kingdom key.

“They key!” They both cried, or Dusk assumed so. The dusk had a bit of an accent to his words the garbled them slightly.

Before the trio could gather their bearings, or even stand, the plaza began shaking. Dusk dropped into a tentative battle stance, the greed and power of a strong heartless washing over. As the ground rumbled and quaked, blocky columns of stone rose up, gating the plaza and cutting off any potential route of escape. Swarms of the solder-like heartless fazed into existence, poised ready to surge on their prey. Sora, the dig, and the dog all clamored to their feet, weapons drawn. The duck welded a staff capped with a small brown wizard’s hat with confidence, a gleam in his eyes. The dog hefted a small, circular child with an insignia made up of three overlapping circles, like the silhouette of a head and two ears.

The shape was near similar to the charm that danged from the kingdom keys.

The par followed behind Sora almost naturally as the boy charged as the swarm of heartless. As expected of the duck, he wielded magic, lobbing fireballs at the heartless before they could jump or move. The dog tacked his foes with the shield, crashing into them with unforgiving metal backed by his body weight. With so few heartless, the battle began nearly as soon as it started.

Despite the short fight, Dusk was able to observe a critical piece of detail; whenever Sora defeated one of those marked heartless, at least one heart was released. Moving between districts hadn’t given Dusk the opportunity to properly observe this phenomenon until now. Their red-amber eyes narrowed into a concerned squint. The heartless were those whose hearts were consumed by a certain type of darkness, but instead of releasing hearts the Keyblade merely exorcised them.

What was going on?

When the last of the heartless were defeated, the sound of rattling metal had them all looking skyward. 5 pieces of armor that oozed of heartless power fell from above, bouncing off the ground as though made of rubber before coming together. Though none of the pieces were connected, the body hovered above the legs, the arms levitating at its sides. An iron helm fell from above and crashed into place right where a head should be.

Sora lifted his Keyblade and charged as the heartless approached. It wobbled and moved as though each part of its body were controlled by threads; the head rolling and arms darting independent of the body as each leg tottered forward. Dusk felt their hair stand on end as the sheer wrongness of the heartless, or whatever it was meant to be. The body carried the same mark as the smaller lesser heartless Sora had just felled. In their time, only a few, horrendously powerful heartless carried that mark, those so powerful they were able to reobtain their human shape and appearance, differentiated from their actual self only by that mark.

Fallen were what those branded heartless were known as. This creature was nowhere near the might and prowess a fallen possessed; it was too weak. It wasn't unusual for it to take 2, or even 3 or more keyblade masters to defeat a fallen. That was just how strong and dangerous they were. Only the fallen should bear the mark of the heartless… So why were these lesser heartless sporting the mark?

If fact, what even were these marked heartless in the first place?

Despite being weaker than a fallen, the armor proved to be a fearsome opponent. Each step was an attack in its own right, the arms often twirled about, slamming into any person too slow to get out of the way or counter. The three of them were slowly able to widdle down on the heartless’s limbs, defeating a leg here and an arm there, the defeated limbs lurching to the ground with a ‘thunk’. Despite being down to half its limbs, the stomp of its single foot and the spin of its lone gauntlet proved to still be potent attacks.

As it turned out, both the duck and dog turned out to be effective battle companions for Sora. The dog’s shield was able to withstand blows, even if the person behind it ended up falling backward here and there. The duck was a proficient and adept magician, lobbing fire and ice at the heartless to catch its attention, and using cure if Sora’s stamina dipped too low. With Sora unable to use magic just yet, something they would have to fix after the battle, having a mage was a valuable asset.

Sora let out an excited “Whoop” when he managed to defeat the other leg. A few more blows and the remaining arm followed en-suit. Ducking out of the body’s path, the three converged. The head was still out of reach of Sora or the dog, and nimble enough to twirl out of harm's way from any of the duck’s spells. The body was not such a tricky target; large, slow, and nowhere near as nimble it made for a good target. The body was not as effective an attacker as the limbs, only able to slowly crash into an unlucky body here and there.

As it turned out, the body and head ended up being one whole piece. With one final swing of the Keyblade, the body was rendered defeated. The levitating pieces of armor rattled and trembled as though being violently shaken. The head clattered to the ground with a loud noise as light welled out from where it once hovered at the neck of the armor. A large heart sprang free of its prison, vanishing into the night sky as the light from the armor died away. The heartless vanished; becoming translucent before shattering and fading away in a soft blue glow.

Sora turned to the strange pair and opened his mouth

“Gwaaa! We finally found you!” The duck screamed.

“Gwarsh, and we looked all over too.” The dog said at a much, much more appropriate volume.

“Heh, you were looking for me?” Sora asked. Both nodded with a verbal ‘uhuh'.

“They, too, have been seeking the wielder of the Keyblade,” Leon said. Turning his head, Sora spotted him and Yuuffie standing over by the door leading straight to the first district. Oh, good, looks like the door was finally open. The older two looked no worse for wear, despite probably having fought wave after wave of heartless until now.

“Hey, why don’t you come with us?” The dog offered. “We can go to other worlds on our vessel.”

“I wonder if I could find Riku and Kairi…” The boy mumbled. Really, at this point, his only hope of seeing them again was finding them in another world. His shoulders were slumped from the crushing hopelessness creeping in.

“Of course!” The dusk said. Sora lifted his head.

“Are you sure?” The dog asked his companion quietly.

“Who knows.” The duck scoffed quietly. “but we need him to come with us to help find the king.” Jerking a thumb in Sora’s direction. Dusk snorted, neither of the two were being particularly adept at being secretive.

Before Sore could become doubtful of the pair, Leon stepped forward. “Sora, go with them. Especially if you want to go find your friends.”

“…I don’t sense anything bad in their hearts, but the duck is a bit of a gray area,” Dusk added.

“Yeah, I guess.” Sora sighed, head hanging.

The duck seemed to pick up on Sora’s glum mood. “But you can’t come along looking like that, understand.” He said. The dog gave him a confused look. “No frowning. No sad face. Okay?” the duck continued, giving Sora a sympathetic look.

“Yeah, ya gotta look funny, like us!” The dog added, locking his face near the duck’s. It was hard to tell if he was just assisting the white mallard in cheering Sora up, or his own attempt. The duck gave his friend(?) a sour look, then turned back to Sora, shoving the dog’s face away.

“This boat runs on happy faces.” The duck said.

Dusk quirked up an eyebrow. Did he mean that literally? That… was actually pretty impressive.

“Happy? Sora replied flatly.

Everyone watched the boy with bated breath, waiting for his response. It was a bit harsh asking him to perk up, but a depressed Sora wouldn’t be much use to anyone. It wouldn’t be easy, but he would need to hold fast to hope, even in this bleak moment in time.

Dusk watched Sora bow his head further for a moment, only to lift it back up with the most ridiculous smiling face the boy had ever made saying “cheese”. They snorted out a quiet chortle of laughter, hiding their grin behind a sleeve. The other two started at Sora long enough for his face to drop, uncertain. It was a delayed reaction, but the two burst out laughing in the end.

“That’s one funny face!” The dog said, holding his gut while pointing a finger at Sora.

Sora stood up straight. “Okay, why not? I’ll go with you guys.” It had been a bit touchy there, especially at the end, but he was finally returning to his usual self.

“Donald Duck.” The duck said, holding a hand out.

“Name’s Goofy.” The dog said placing his hand over Donald’s.

“And I’m Sora.” The boy replied.

“All for one, one for all,” Goofy said as Sora added his own hand.

Dusk watched with a half-smirk. It was good, seeing Sora open up to others like this. They were still new to this whole ‘wolds divided’ situation, and there was no way they’d be able to help Sora travel to other worlds themselves. They would be relying on the two to aid Sora where the wanderer was unable.

The ethereal green magic circle displayed the image of the key bearer as the king’s men. It was something the group of malevolent wills had hoped would not come to pass.

“That little squirt took down that Heartless! Who’d have thought it?” One growled

“Such is the power of the Keyblade. The child’s strength is not his own.” Another scoffed.

“Why don’t we turn him into a heartless?” A third proposed with a malicious cackle. “That’ll settle things quick enough.”

“And the Brat’s friends are the King’s lackeys.” One more barked. “Swoggle me eyes. They're all bilge rats by the look of them.”

“You’re no prize yourself.” Another teased, laughing as if he’d just said a funny joke.

“Shut up!” The previous one snapped, the edge of something sharp and pointy gleaming in the low light.

“Enough.” A final voice said, cool and in control. “They Keyblade as chosen him.” A long, ashen purple fingernail tapped against her chin thoughtfully. “Will it be he who conquers the darkness? Or will the darkness swallow him?” The dark witch quirked her crimson lips into a merciless smile, vivid yellow eyes studying the boy as she schemed. “Either way, he could be quite useful…”


End file.
